


Can't Even Words

by amine



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkwardness, Coffee Shops, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Meet-Cute, Second-Hand Embarrassment, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-31 08:32:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12128586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amine/pseuds/amine
Summary: "'Mattie, listen. That guy. He’s so hot. I can’t even words.'"





	Can't Even Words

Alfred may not have noticed him if not for the fact that they were in the same lab section, given that the class enrollment had reached capacity, and there were hundreds of students packed into that lecture hall every other morning to learn physics. By the totally not creepy way of checking the online class list, Alfred learned that his name was Arthur.

Arthur was a senior in chemistry most likely taking physics to fulfill a remaining requirement, while Alfred was a freshman just getting his start in the first of many classes he’d be taking as a physics major. Arthur instantly joined a group of friends in the lab section, while Alfred had only his cousin, Matthew, to keep him from being alone in a university far from home.

The biggest problem was that Alfred couldn’t keep his eyes off Arthur, even if Arthur never acknowledged his existence. He didn’t know a thing about him outside of his apparent interest in chemistry and how ridiculously good-looking he was, despite having enormous eyebrows, but he was completely smitten. He was a little embarrassed with himself.

It was by complete accident that the day he and Matt decided to study at the local coffee shop, Alfred learned that Arthur was a barista and cashier there. He was waiting in line, not really paying attention as he discussed studying strategies with Matt, and then he was suddenly face-to-face with his crush waiting for him to step up to the register. Alfred froze, but moved with stiff steps up to the counter.

“Hello, what can I get for you today?”

He had an accent. A hot one. It was completely unfair.

“Uh…uh…hot chocolate large. Extra whipped…stuff…”

Arthur just smiled pleasantly at him, and Alfred very nearly swooned right there in that line.

“All right, what’s your name?”

Alfred said something in return. It might have been his name. It might have just been a garbled mess. Either way, Arthur nodded and continued to smile pleasantly as Alfred paid for his drink and stepped away from the register in a daze. Matt ordered his drink and joined Alfred with a puzzled look on his face.

“What the hell was that, Al?”

That shook Alfred from his daze, and he gripped Matt’s arms and moved him to the side.

“Mattie, listen. That guy. He’s so hot. I can’t even words.”

“Yeah, no kidding. Good thing you’re not an English major.” Matt turned back to look at Arthur and furrowed his brows. “Hey, isn’t that guy in our physics lab?”

Alfred stared dreamily in Arthur’s direction and sighed. “Yeah, he is. He seems to really suck at physics, too, but goddamn he’s so hot. I want to talk to him and be really cool and help him out with the experiments, but I can’t even order a hot chocolate from him.”

As if on cue, the barista suddenly called out an order. “Large hot chocolate, extra whipped cream for Archibald!”

At first, Alfred didn’t move, but then the barista called it out again and Matt nudged him. “I think that’s for you, ‘Archibald’.”

Alfred cringed and went to grab the drink from a barista who thankfully wasn’t Arthur, otherwise Alfred probably would have done something extremely uncool like spill the hot chocolate all over Arthur’s adorable apron or say ‘thank you’ in French or something equally ridiculous.

As they sat down to start studying, Matt snapped his fingers in Alfred’s face as Alfred turned to admire Arthur once again. Although reluctantly, Alfred turned back to their study materials. Matt closed his eyes and shook his head in exasperation.

“Okay, I think we need to do something about this or this’ll become a really big problem really soon. So how about you practice talking to him by ordering the same thing from him and once you can do that, you talk to him in class like a normal person?”

“You think that’ll work?” Alfred chewed on his lips, glancing back at Arthur before giving Matt an anxious look.

“Better than you swooning like an idiot when we should be studying. Now come on, I don’t want to fail this test because of your crush.”

* * *

Alfred did as Matt suggested and ordered the same large hot chocolate with extra whipped cream from Arthur until he was able to state the order without babbling, and he was also able to give his real name, and not some garbled mess that Arthur interpreted as something else. He finally felt confident enough to approach Arthur in the lab and talk to him properly. He intended to do so during the next lab, and start off easy by offering help.

That plan was thrown out the window when he entered the lecture hall one morning, with Arthur entering at the same time. At first Arthur didn’t acknowledge him, but then his eyes lit up in recognition and he smiled. He paused, and although Alfred felt light-headed with Arthur smiling at him without the obligation of customer service, he paused as well.

“Oh, I know you. I didn’t know you also took this class. Small world, isn’t it?”

It was very pleasant, and exactly the type of small talk that Alfred had been planning to say. Naturally, there was only one way to respond.

“Yes, I’ll have a large hot chocolate with extra whipped cream!”

Alfred froze the moment the words left his mouth, and he stared wide-eyed in mortified shock at Arthur, who blinked in confusion at him. The world around them seemed to have also come to a standstill, except for the giggles from some of the girls in the class entering behind them.

“We’re…we’re not at the coffee shop…”

“Y-Yeah, we’re not. I’m just…going over…there…”

He turned stiffly and walked away, where he slid into his usual seat next to Matt, only this time he kept sliding down until his knees hid the seat in front of him and prevented him from sinking any lower. He was low enough in the seat that hopefully no one would see him, and maybe a hole in the floor would open up and take him down the rest of the way.

“Is he gone? Did I really just do that? Oh fuck, I really just did that. Let me die.”

“Actually, he’s coming this way.”

Alfred froze, but then he grabbed onto Matt’s arm and tugged. “Mattie, kill me now. Let me die with some dignity. You can have my custom-built PC and everything if you make it quick.”

Before Matt could respond, Arthur appeared at the end of the aisle and gestured toward the empty seat next to Alfred. “Do you mind if I sit here?”

Alfred just stared in wide-eyed, dumbfounded shock, leaving Matt to click his tongue and respond instead.

“Go for it. I’m Matt, by the way.”

“Arthur.”

They shook hands over Alfred’s head, who continued to stare like a deer caught in headlights at Arthur, who smiled at him as he sat down.

Although he spent most of the lecture sunken into the seat and staring wide-eyed at Arthur, who would occasionally notice and smile at him, he eventually came out of his stupor enough to sit up and start to shakily take notes, only to be distracted by how _good_ Arthur smelled on top of everything else.

It was a start, at least.

**Author's Note:**

> I imagine their first date goes something like [this](https://youtu.be/MhOG3XwX9Yw?t=1m35s). :')


End file.
